Doesn't sound like you'll need to, but do not try to take the 10 or 12 during rush hours, you will be sad because of the traffic jam that is 2nd at Howard/Folsom/Harrison. Like trying to go crosstown on 57th in Manhattan.

I used to bike up 2nd to work and would get stuck in that stupid traffic even. Thankfully, I realized that 3rd St. was much more efficient.

Salumeria Biellese at 8th+29th in Manhattan comes to mind as a place that makes their own meats and makes sandwiches from them.

Finding a sandwich with italian cured meats, disregarding provenance of said meats, is pretty much finding a deli in the neighborhood and asking. For example, this search shows 130K menu items for sandwiches with Italian cured meats, which on the east coast is simply called an italian combo: http://foodfinder.net/find?q=italian+...

I'm sure the bread is not up to snuff, but if you want Italian cured meats between two slices of bread, you don't need to try too hard.

Based on threads here, it's seems that it's also just as hard to find shops like Molinari's here in SF though?

I believe these all have bars, and in no real order, if I were visiting regularly from elsewhere, and maybe had per diem:

MouradHuxleyKin KhaoTosca - Italian-ish, some what like Coppa - pigtails make for an amazing dinner w/cocktails (as a former Bostonian who lived off of the ones at Drink circa 2009)Coqueta (I think this is what JonDough meant)

I went back last Monday night with a few friends and enjoyed just about everything except for the tendon which were surprisingly gamey/barn-yardy (in the words of Andrew Zimmern). Some pieces were tough, some were soft and tender.

The single seasoning/spicing did start to wear on me a bit though, and that's where side dishes like the cold salad helps to break it up a bit.

I live ~2 blocks away and pass it on the way home from work. Sadly, I have only walked into a seat at the kitchen bar once since they opened. More recently, have only been able to get a walk-in seat at the upstairs bar - this works out better since I've gotten to know the bartender that's behind that bar.

I stopped into Cockscomb last Thursday w/the SO and also had the n'duja toast, tripe and clams, octopus, and the zampini, and would echo most of what Robert noted. Solid meal and I think it's reliable for a nicer, more indulgent dinner. I did have a meal there in February that was very mediocre save for the mussels - most of the fail was around the pie which was a waterlogged mess.

To contrast though, I also ate at Chi Spacca this past weekend in LA and thought that the food there was better than Cockscomb. I think these two restaurants are comparable given the price point, decor (open kitchen w/bar), and neighborhood?. Chi Spacca has a tighter focus though on meat meat meat. Perhaps, given the LA setting, they're not afraid to be more masculine about their approach to food and may even need to be to survive - massive hunks of meat grilling front and center. A meat board with a jar of pig 'butter'. Anchovies on toast served with a curled slice of butter, and then an anchovy filet on top. A portion of cauliflower that dwarfed the portion that was served at Cockscomb on previous menus. But again, different economics, people, place.

I know that I will go back to Cockscomb at least once a month or maybe more as I like what Cosentino is doing with the food but I can't shake the feeling that he's holding back sometimes.

anyone care to comment on how 'la si ni' or 辣死你 is different from a dish like chongqing la zi ji (重庆辣子鸡)? I've never had the former dish but given the description, it sounds very similar to the latter - lots of red chilis with pieces or chunks of chicken stir fried, sometimes crispier, sometimes not.

I went the 2nd week they were open and thought the meal had some highs and lows, some great flavor/texture combos. I remember leaving feeling satiated. I also remember getting tacos at some point in the same night but that may have been after getting drinks at ABV after Californios.

I am happy that I only paid $55pp though because for the number of courses and the quantity, I'm not sure I'd be happy at $75pp as it is now. Granted, I've been burned by a very meh experience at Chef's Table at Brooklyn Fare where many of the courses were similar in style/execution to the dishes at Californios - piece of fish, dressing of some sort.

Thanks for your comparison. I recently moved from Manhattan and currently live in SoMA after a month stint in Nob Hill. In that time, the only Shanghainese restaurant that I've had the chance to eat at repeatedly is Bund Shanghai on Jackson nr. Kearney. I find it to be solid for when I need my fix, which I'd say is increasing in frequency. Will comment in other thread but it seems that the runaway favorite there is also Bund Shanghai.

I can't shake it but Shanghainese food always feels more home-y to me than many other cuisines, Chinese or not, yet still incredibly delicious and fulfilling. I have not gotten around to trying high-end Shanghainese cuisine while in China (whether in Shanghai, Beijing, or HK) so I'm not sure what that might be like, nor have I tried Jai Yun here in SF.

To circle back on the experiences of some of those present for this chowdown though, I think the flavors of Shanghainese cuisine can be pretty boring when compared to other cuisines - Chinese or otherwise. But there is definitely still room for finesse in execution.

Would you guys who attended contrast this a meal at another Shanghainese restaurant in the area, recent or not, for example, the meal at Bamboo Garden discussed here: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/1009...

Also, two things that come to mind as I read these descriptions of dishes are:

2.shanghai fried pork buns, based on photos like this:http://s3-media4.fl.yelpcdn.com/bphot... look like a failure in that the dough is way too leavened and thus too thick. These should be much thinner like a soup dumpling while still being crispy on the bottom and a bit thicker/doughy at the top.

I had tried to go about a month ago but they were closed for vacation apparently so I'd like to know if it's actually worth going or not, when compared to other area Shanghainese restaurants.

The 'punch' is probably just how they choose to prepare it at Eim Khao Mun Kai. i.e. YMMV.

That's purely based on experience with the few trucks/carts in Portland,OR that specialize in this dish. I didn't find that their versions seemed to be Thai in anyways except for the spicy sauce that they provided, which seem to include fish sauce possibly.

Of those, the crispy shrimp was our hands down favorite, about a dozen+ U15-20 or size smaller shrimp fried crispy enough to eat whole but lightly enough to be tender. The seasoning was a relatively light version of crispy chilis, scallions, garlic, and Sichuan peppercorns. The guo ba was alright, I prefer it in dishes with the soupy stuff, but then again, only ever had it or bothered to order it at banquets in China. It did serve well as a cracker on which the fried chili/scallion/garlic seasoning could be consumed.

The sichuan green beans had a nice wok blister to them but the interior was still bit under for me (I have an allergic reaction to these when 'undercooked' due to pollen allergy syndrome). Perfect for my spouse however.

Cumin lamb was well flavored and extremely tender but not...authentic? I expect the lamb to be thin and crispy at the edges and for there to be a lot of cilantro served on top or stir-fried in. The lamb here was clearly coated in starch and then stir-fried to preserve the tenderness, almost the texture you would expect from a shui zhu(水煮) preparation. Again, really tasty, we moped up, but they shouldn't call it cumin lamb, in my book.

Lastly, the garlic sliced pork with a heap of minced garlic and chili oil made for a nice appetizer but the accompanying fava beans were waterlogged as if they had only been partially thawed.

Two special menus on the walls advertising bullfrog in 5 different typical styles/preparations and some other stuff that I can't recall.

Will definitely go back if I'm in the hood or/if I have a larger group of folks to try out some dishes w/.

That said, SF is not better off than LA by any means in terms of Thai cuisine because LA has a density of excellent Isan/Isaan restaurants that just doesn't exist in SF yet and even in the Bay Area - and I think that's the best of measure of maturity of Thai cuisine in a US city currently.

For example, while Zen Yai on Ellis offers boat noodles on the not so secret menu, and another menu in Thai, Pa Ord in LA offers these items openly, in English, with pictures.

That's a small example of the contrast between the maturity of the LA and SF Thai cuisine scenes, for example, in my opinion.

I'm hopeful for the future of Thai cuisine here though with the opening of places like Tycoon and Kyu3 that offer Thai regional cuisine that's not yet commonplace here.